Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
Heidelberg Castle ranks as one of the most important Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. Having been partially destroyed during the Thirty Years? War, and on many occasions since, the castle was abandoned altogether in the eighteenth century. Today the famous ruin serves as a museum. Receiving more than one million visitors a year, it is one of the country?s top tourist destinations and makes a lasting impression on international tourists visiting Germany.
Courtesy of Max Dudler – Photographs : Stefan Müller
The purpose of the visitor centre is to familiarize guests with the castle before they proceed to the castle proper. The visitor centre showcases the castle?s history as well as orientating guests so as to ensure a trouble-free visit. In May 2009, Max Dudler?s design prevailed in the architectural selection procedure. The visitor centre?s foundation stone was laid in summer 2010, making it the first new building to be constructed at Heidelberg Castle for more than four hundred years. This building shows how the contemporary architecture of Max Dudler is rooted in history. At the same time, its abstract form underscores both the grandeur and actuality of this German cultural monument. Courtesy of Max Dudler – Photographs : Stefan Müller
The new building is situated outside the old defensive ring wall, at the entrance gate to the castle and garden (Hortus Palatinus). The narrow strip of land ch...